King: Criticism of Me Shows America Will Not Survive

Rep. Steve King continues to deny that he said anything wrong in claiming that the overwhelming majority of Mexican immigrants are drug mules, appearing on Bryan Fischer’s radio show to claim that criticism of him proves that America “will not be able to sustain itself in the long run.” Narcissism, much?

The problem isn’t Steve King. He is just a pathological symptom. Warped twisted slime molds are what they are.

The problem is the people who keep electing him a US Representative. Without them, King would just be a guy pushing a shopping cart around the park, drinking something from a bottle in a brown paper bag, and babbling away.

A majority of the voters in his district think he is just the greatest intellectual giant they could find.

So for anyone in the area. What’s it like in his district? Do they all walk on their knuckles, hoot at each other, and squabble over bananas?

matty1

Raven that is uncalled for. How dare you insult chimps by comparing them to Steve King voters. At least chimpanzees only fling their faeces by hand they don’t broadcast it on television.

raven

My relatives used to live in rural, farm, upper midwest. Not Iowa but the same treeless plains.

Their area has been losing population for half a century and the average age is ca. 60 by now.

The farms tend to be very large, much of it leased. The farmers tend to be old men. But it is a profitable way to make a living. AFAICT, much of the actual labor is done by immigrants, mostly Mexicans. They have all the giant machines for farming thousands of acres but someone has to drive and maintain those.The farmer is just an owner/manager.

I’m guessing here, but if one looks closely at Iowa, it’s probably the same situation. Without cheap semiskilled immigrant labor, they would be in trouble.

Mexican immigrants are twofers. Cheap, semiskilled labor that you can also insult and look down on. And feel uneasy when their kids go to college and get degrees. Because your kids might end up working for their kids.

RickR

I’m right, and if you don’t agree with me, you’re all doomed because reasons.

John Pieret

Let’s hope he’s right that the America of his fevered imagination won’t be able to sustain itself and the rest of us are freed of zenophobes, homophobes and would be theocrats.

Trebuchet

Rep. Steve King continues to deny that he said anything wrong in claiming that the overwhelming majority of Mexican immigrants are drug mules…

Except he apparently didn’t say that. What he actually said, according to Politifact, was this:

“For everyone who’s a valedictorian, there’s another 100 out there that, they weigh 130 pounds and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes, because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert,” King said. “Those people would be legalized with the same act.”

King is a racist, reprehensible, demagogue. He needs to be removed from office. But progressives exaggerating what he said isn’t helping.

vilstef

Mr King doesn’t need to do any more work on his messianic complex.

Trebuchet

@3, Raven: It’s not just agriculture. Business, big and small, won’t admit it but they LOVE illegal immigration because it keeps wages down. Wal-Mart and McDonalds almost certainly don’t knowingly hire illegals, but they benefit mightily from them all the same.

howardhershey

Pardon my French:

Steve King: Apres moi, le deluge.

Response: The cemeteries are full of indispensible men.

steve oberski

@Trebuchet

How is the synopsis “the overwhelming majority of Mexican immigrants are drug mules” materially different from Kings statement that 130 pound Mexicans with calves the size of cantelopes hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert outnumber (presumably Mexican) valedictorians by a factor of 100 to 1 ?

I think Trebuchet is saying his statement leave open the possibility that for every 4,000 undocumented immigrants, 10 are valedictorians, 990 are drug mules and 3,000 are neither, so it doesn’t necessarily mean the vast majority are drug mules.

My mom’s family lives in Sioux City and most of them are keeping this guy in office. They have similar things to say about Mexicans at family events.

Ace of Sevens“They have similar things to say about Mexicans at family events.”

I don’t see what their issue is with Mexicans at family events. Mexicans have families too.

Trebuchet

@10 and 11: What 12 and 13 said.

Let’s assume there are 200 illegal immigrant valedictorians a year in the US. That’s almost certainly too high, but assume it anyhow. That means, by King’s logic, that there are 20,000 drug mules. That’s probably too high as well, but let it stand. Supposedly there are 11,000,000 illegals in the US. That means those 20,000 comprise 0.18% of illegals, a pretty far cry from 99% and, in fact, a vast minority.

I won’t say King didn’t MEAN that nearly all illegals are criminals; in fact I’m pretty sure that’s what he thinks. But it isn’t what he actually said.

Who Knows?

I think what King was saying is pretty clear. For every 1 good guy immigrant, there’s 100 bad guy immigrants. Which makes the vast majority of immigrants are bad guys.

And that’s likely the way most everyone took what he said, including the conservatives who have criticized him. So, that is what he said.

D. C. Sessions

My mom’s family lives in Sioux City and most of them are keeping this guy in office. They have similar things to say about Mexicans at family events.

And they probably get together now and then with their neighbors the Jaramillos (pronounced Jar as in Mason, ah as in open your mouth, mill as in flour, oh as in “nice present”) and ping off of each other about the horrors of Mexicans moving into the neighborhood.

(Not speculative; personal experience with someone from the Midwest.)

Trebuchet

I think what King was saying is pretty clear. For every 1 good guy immigrant, there’s 100 bad guy immigrants. Which makes the vast majority of immigrants are bad guys.

Reading comprehension fail. What he literally said was that for every illegal immigrant valedictorian, there are 100 drug runners. Not what you said at all.

And that’s likely the way most everyone took what he said, including the conservatives who have criticized him. So, that is what he said.

This part’s correct. That’s obviously the way everyone took it, including Ed.

Had King said that for every illegal immigrant valedictorian, there are 100 drug runners and 10,000 hardworking honest gardeners, he might actually have been close to correct. He’s still an ignorant racist asshole.

Karen Locke

I, for one, hope the reality-unchecked America he wants WILL be destroyed, because it’s bigoted and racist (and presumably homophobic, but that isn’t revealed in these particular remarks). The friends I have who originated from Mexico and points south are hardworking, taxpaying, citizens or permanent residents. But King probably thinks they don’t exist.

I remember when my friend Lupe (who was earning some extra cash at the time “cleaning house” for my parents, but was really keeping an eagle eye on them and their failing faculties), commented that she was tired of racially-based go-back-to-where-you-came-from slurs at her day job. This was in California’s Central Valley. I said something like “but…but… Mexican immigrants were here BEFORE white people! That’s outrageous! Your family deserves to live in the valley more than we do!” Lupe gave me that you’re-sweet-but-ignorant look, and just said, “They don’t see it that way.”

dingojack

Accoring to the FoAW there are 815,000 more illegal immigrants this year than last year*, 62% are from Mexico (that’s 505,300 in the last year*).

If there were only two classes of Mexican immigrant, valedictorian (1) and drug mules (100) then there are 101 in total. Therefore there would be around 5002 of the former compared to 500,297 of the latter in the immigrant population.

Mexico has a population of 116,220,947**.

If the proportion of immigrant valedictorians were equal to that of Mexico population generally then there would be 1,150,702 Mexican valedictorians (at most)

Based on the comparative GDP expenditure on education, literacy levels and average length of time at school:

Trebuchet, only pedantic assholes try to pick these kinds of nits. Don’t be that guy. The problem is not progressives ‘exaggerating’ gross jackassery, nor is it exacerbated by progressives ‘exaggerating’ gross jackassery. The problem is the gross jackassery. Especially when it’s written in such a plausibly deniable way. You are playing into the bigots hands with this kind of stupid nitpicking.

Trebuchet

@21: I almost forgot about this thread! Anyhow, nitpicking is what I do. Pedantry is my middle name.

And I disagree with your post. Conservatives lie and distort as a matter of course. We’re supposed to be better.

Michael Heath

Trebuchet @ 22 to Rutee Katreya @ 21:

And I disagree with your post. Conservatives lie and distort as a matter of course. We’re supposed to be better.

Exactly. A point many liberal ideologues fail to appreciate, though not enough to make it an attribute of liberalism like we see from authoritarian conservatism.

I’ve been meaning to post in support of your criticism prior to the @ 21 comment post; i.e., at least this reader appreciates your keeping the criticism factual and contextually accurate. That we liberals and other non-conservatives cede the valued moral high ground when we blithely dismiss inaccurate criticism made by our side as we see from a handful of posters in this thread.